im, Roylance swam steadily on
through the clear blue water; and though every eye searched about him
for a sight of some shark, not one was visible, though the back fins of
no less than four could be seen gliding about in the neighbourhood of
the floating hutch on the far side of the boat.

By making almost superhuman efforts the party on the rock managed to get
abreast of Roylance just as he was half-way between the boat and a patch
of rugged boulders which had seemed to promise foothold till help could
reach him from above, and still the brave fellow swam on with the rope
in his teeth, ring after ring slowly gliding out over the boat's side.

"Now," cried Syd, as he grasped mentally the spot where his companion
would land. "A man to go down."

The sailor who had been his other companion on the day when Syd had
attempted to explore the rock stepped forward, a loop was made in the
rope, the man threw it over his head, and passed it below his hips.

"Ready," he cried, and he was lowered down over the edge to be ready to
give Roylance a helping hand, and try to make fast the line the latter
was bringing ashore.

"Ah!" shrieked Syd, suddenly, for it seemed to him that the end had
come. For as he gazed wildly at his messmate, he saw that he was
swimming with all his might, but making no way. Worse: he was being
drawn slowly and surely out to sea, and the reason was plain; the rope
that should have continued to give over the side had caught somewhere in
the broken edge of the bulwarks, and all Roylance's risks and efforts
had been thrown away.

"Let go, and swim for it!" yelled Syd, and Roylance answered by throwing
up a hand.

"Can you see the sharks?" said Syd, half-aloud.

"No, sir, not yet," said one of the sailors. "They're cruising about
the boat."

"Roylance--Roy! Let go of the rope and swim," cried Syd, in an agony of
dread.

But the young middy turned on his back, loosened the rope all he could,
and gave it a shake so as to send a wave along it. This had no effect,
for it was too tight, and to the honour of those on the rock they saw
him deliberately turn and take a stroke or two back toward the boat
before giving the rope another shake. This time it had its due effect,
for the wave ran along the line and shifted it out of the rugged spot
where it had caught, so that it once more ran out freely as Roylance
turned to swim for the shore.

"Hist! Don't make a sound," whispered Syd, as a murmur of h